Love My Enemies?
Notes
Transcript
Challenge last week: thank you to those who reached out!
You can still send your tough scriptures to me this week if you want to!
Question: How often do you find yourselves in awkward situations because you are a Christian?
When Jesus came, He brought the message that the kingdom of heaven has come. And he changed a lot of the way that we are to think and to act.
One awkward situation for me - JAG-K
I didn’t have to change what I am called to do because of the way that she was acting. She did not have control over me.
It was awkward being harassed about it and others not understanding.
Jesus is going to share with us one way that will seem awkward to the rest of the world!
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Love your neighbor - Jesus is directly quoting:
Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
They were familiar with this passage, so it wouldn’t be anything new or shocking to them.
And hate your enemy - this is not a direct quote from scripture. It is likely just an understanding from their cultural perspective.
It’s possible that it was understood from
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
But, it is not directly in scripture to “hate your enemies.”
Nevertheless, it was something that they “likely heard”
Jesus is about to change this perspective.
Before we get there let’s look at what it means to “love your neighbor”
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Priest - leader in the church - the most likely to have compassion for the man!
Levite - a leader in the church - he too passes by
Samaritan - the enemy - the least likely to help
So, who is my neighbor? Jesus redefines who our neighbor is for us- the person who is your enemy - the person you are least likely to help!
We can look at who our neighbor is a little differently than what they would have understood. We know, based on the previous passages that their neighbor is going to directly include our enemies.
We know this, but they wouldn’t have. So, what Jesus says in verse 44 would have been completely shocking to them!
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
So, where they thought it was okay to hate their enemies, Jesus sifts the paradigm!
He says to love your enemies!
And, this is why this passage made it into the series. How many of you find it easy to love your enemies?
Let’s look at what love is really quickly. There is a difference in being cordial and loving someone.
As we read the story about the Good Samaritan earlier, we saw that the Samaritan went above and beyond the “call of duty” to help the man!
He bandaged his wounds, helped him to the inn, and paid for his stay.
He didn’t just check on the man and say something like “let me get you some help” and then pass it on to someone else,
No, he took it a step further, he chose to get personally involved and went above and beyond to make sure that the man was going to be okay!
We too, have enemies, and and we think that it is simple enough to just smile at them, and put up with them!
But, that is not what Jesus calls us to do, he calls us to love them!
The New American Commentary: Matthew (2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)) - says:
“The true test of genuine Christianity is how believers treat those whom they are naturally inclined to hate or who mistreat or persecute them.”
Love in the Bible is a difficult thing. The Greek word here is agapao - the same word in John 3:16 - for God so loved (agapao) the world, that he gave His only Son...
We are to love our enemies with the same attitude (mindset) that God has for the world! For God so loved the wold that He gave His only Son....
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This is the love that God has for the world! And this is the love that we should for our enemies!
So, what does this love look like for us?
It’s laid out in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
We use this passage at weddings - I used it just last night at one. But, here is the thing, the Greek word for “love” here is not a romantic love - that would be “eros”
It’s Agape - the love that we are called to have for our enemies!
So, as we read the passage, think about your enemies - does this sum up how you treat them?
1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ((f) Love (5:43–47))
“And this love will issue in prayer for the persecutors; it is not just a sentimental feeling, but an earnest desire for their good.”
This is not a prayer offered out of obligation, this is a prayer offered out of concern.
Jesus showed us the perfect example of this when He prayed:
Luke 23:34a (NIV)
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
As He was dying on the cross.
If Jesus can have such care as He was hanging on the cross, how much care can we have for our persecutors?
So, why should we love our enemies and pray for those persecuting us?
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
So that we can be children of our Father in heaven! Which means that we are like our Father when we love our enemies!
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
It is easy and more than easy, it’s normal, to love those who love us! But what Jesus is challenging us to is something new - to offer love to our enemies and to pray for our persecutors!
When we have this new mindset, this is the what the Kingdom of heaven is like! We get to become children of God when we are a part of this kingdom!
When we become children of God, we get to inherit what God has for us!
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The word for “perfect” here could be better translated as “mature.” Not being “perfect” in the since that we are flawless, but to be mature, as God is mature - loving our enemies! Not being immature like those who hate their enemies, but different and mature and holy - set apart from the world.
When we become children of God and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which brings us to a mature state!
I want to give you an opportunity to respond today.
If you are not apart of this new kingdom and want to be, it’s pretty simple. You must confess that Jesus is Lord. Confess your sins to Him! Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and has the power to forgive you of your sins. You ask Jesus to forgive you, repent of your sins, and start following Him!
If you are already part of the Kingdom of heaven, but need forgive someone, or show love to an enemy, now is a time to respond to conviction of the Spirit. Pray about who you need to visit with.
You are welcome to come up front and receive some prayer as we sing our response song!